The Hottest Camera Trends of 2018

From Canyon to Nikon and Sony, the big players in the camera industry are looking to the future. Long gone are the days when photography was confined to the painstaking “point and click”. Today, it’s the best drone cameras for sale that are capturing the shots that take our breath away. The question is, what does the future hold for one of our most beloved gadgets?

360 Degree Experience

Among the most prolific cameras that got people talking at tech fairs all over the world in 2018, are the best 360 cameras. These technological marvels use multiple lenses to capture your environment in every direction. It’s part of the general global trend towards virtual reality living – immersing yourself into the world around you. As you’d expect, 360 cameras are the perfect match with VR headsets. You can even get 360 lenses like Insta360 Air that attach to your iPhone or Android, and options to live stream. The results are nothing short of mind-blowing.

8K Resolution

While the last couple of years have been all about the 4K Ultra HD definition in our cameras and TV sets, we’re not far from hitting 8K (that’s around 32 megapixels). Sony was the first to the finish line, unveiling its UHC-8300 camera in late 2017. These beasts of the camera world can take snaps using up to 60 frames in a second. The clarity, depth and sharpness of each frame are unparalleled. We’ve only just started seeing these models enter the market, but the next 6-12 months are likely to see a significant surge.

Aerial Drones

Love them or hate them, aerial drones are a modern photographer’s best friend. When flown responsibly, drones can shoot stunning footage from a bird’s eye perspective that would be impossible to achieve otherwise. It’s become so popular as a past-time for professional and amateur photographers alike that drone photography is now considered an art form. Top of the range drones such as the DJI Phantom 4 is smart enough to avoid obstacles, analyze and select shots, and return home. It doesn’t get more hands-free than that.

From Low Light To No Light

The most integral part of any photography is optimal lighting. As our lenses get smarter, this requirement is becoming increasingly obsolete. This is made possible by introducing mathematical modeling to the camera. An image will be gradually constructed even if taken in very low visibility. The most forward looking researchers are envisioning cameras that can see capture crystal clear images in dreary fog, and even see around corners and through walls. The next foreseeable step will be in developing ultra low light cameras for our smartphones. Sony has teased its own gadget that will work with Samsung’s Galaxy 9/10, but we can safely say, other manufacturers won’t be far behind.

The above trends represent a handful of ways in which cameras are becoming smarter, more intuitive and progressively technically adept. It shows how bit by bit, we can immerse ourselves into our photography, which will soon become as real as the world that surrounds us.